Twitter criticised over hate speech case

Twitter has no plans to abandon attempts to overturn a ruling that it must reveal details of users who tweeted antisemitic messages, despite the decision of a French court to refuse an appeal by the company.

A spokesperson said: “We are disappointed that the court has decided not to hear our appeal. We are considering our options, including resubmitting the appeal.” The case against Twitter was brought by France’s Union of Jewish Students.

British lawyer Simon Gallant said that he expects Twitter to carry on contesting the January decision, adding that in his opinion, Twitter “does need to be forced to reveal this information. For many years now, Twitter has been hiding behind the fact that it is operating outside the jurisdiction [of nations other than America].”

Media lawyer Charlotte Harris said: “Twitter’s argument that it falls outside the French jurisdiction says more about its philosophy and ethics than it does about legal argument. The fact is that Twitter seems prepared to protect the identity of those who publish hate on its site. It appears to wish to avoid a situation in which it has global obligations. It will be interesting to see how far it is prepared to go to sustain this position.”